Contact | RSS | EN | DE | EL | ES | FR | IT | RU

Light mag. 4.0 earthquake - 1.2 km northeast of Albufeira, Faro, Portugal, on Friday, Mar 17, 2023 at 3:35 am (GMT +0) -

Light mag. 4.0 earthquake - 1.2 km northeast of Albufeira, Faro, Portugal, on Friday, Mar 17, 2023 at 3:35 am (GMT +0) Light mag. 4.0 earthquake - 1.2 km northeast of Albufeira, Faro, Portugal, on Friday, Mar 17, 2023 at 3:35 am (GMT +0)

Light magnitude 4.0 earthquake at 40 km depth

17 Mar 03:39 UTC: First to report: VolcanoDiscovery after 4 minutes.
17 Mar 03:40: Now using data updates from IGN
17 Mar 04:12: Magnitude recalculated from 3.8 to 4.0. Hypocenter depth recalculated from 36.0 to 40.0 km (from 22 to 25 mi). Epicenter location corrected by 6.1 km (3.8 mi) towards SW.
Update Fri, 17 Mar 2023, 03:51

Magnitude 3.8 earthquake strikes near Faro, Portugal

3.8 quake 26 km northwest of Faro, Portugal, Mar 17, 2023 3:35 am (GMT +0)
3.8 quake 26 km northwest of Faro, Portugal, Mar 17, 2023 3:35 am (GMT +0)
An earthquake of magnitude 3.8 occurred early morning on Friday, March 17th, 2023, at 3:35 am local time near Faro, Portugal, as reported by Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN).
According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a moderately shallow depth of 36 km. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
A second report was later issued by the Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, IPMA), which listed it as a magnitude 3.7 earthquake. A third agency, the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, reported the same quake at magnitude 3.7.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Boliqueime (pop. 4,500) located 3 km from the epicenter, Albufeira (pop. 15,900) 7 km away, Quarteira (pop. 18,800) 10 km away, Loule (pop. 23,100) 15 km away, Faro (pop. 41,400) 26 km away, Portimao (pop. 38,500) 31 km away, Olhao (pop. 29,200) 32 km away, Laranjeiro (pop. 20,500) 34 km away, and Lagos (pop. 18,800) 44 km away.

Download the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app and get one of the fastest seismic alerts online: Android | iOS

Earthquake details

Date & timeMar 17, 2023 03:35:00 UTC -
Local time at epicenterFriday, Mar 17, 2023 at 3:35 am (GMT +0)
StatusConfirmed
Magnitude4
Depth40.0 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude37.0964°N / 8.2409°W (Albufeira Municipality, Faro, Portugal)
Antipode37.096°S / 171.759°E
Shaking intensityWeak shaking
Felt437 reports
Primary data sourceIGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional)
Nearby towns and cities1 km (1 mi) NE of Albufeira (pop: 15,900) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
13 km (8 mi) WNW of Quarteira (pop: 18,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
20 km (13 mi) WSW of Loule (Loulé) (pop: 23,100) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
27 km (17 mi) E of Portimao (pop: 38,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
29 km (18 mi) WNW of Faro (pop: 41,400) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
36 km (23 mi) WNW of Olhao (Olhão) (pop: 29,200) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
39 km (24 mi) W of Laranjeiro (Moncarapacho) (pop: 20,500) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
196 km (122 mi) SSE of Lissabon (pop: 517,800) | Show on map | Quakes nearby
Weather at epicenter at time of quakeOvercast Clouds 13.4°C (56 F), humidity: 90%, wind: 3 m/s (5 kts) from WNW
Estimated seismic energy released6.3 x 1010 joules (17.5 megawatt hours, equivalent to 15.1 tons of TNT) | about seismic energy
Show interactive Map
[smaller] [bigger]

Data for the same earthquake reported by different agencies

Info: The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.
Mag.DepthLocationSource
4.040 kmPortugal: NE ALBUFEIRA.PORIGN
3.827 kmPortugalRaspberryShake
3.627 kmPortugal: NE AlbufeiraIPMA
3.840 kmPORTUGALEMSC

User reports for this quake (497)

User reports estimate the perceived ground shaking intensity according to the MMI (Modified Mercalli Intensity) scale.
Contribute:
Leave a comment if you find a particular report interesting or want to add to it.
Flag as inappropriate.
Mark as helpful or interesting.
Send your own user report!
Translate
Carvoeiro / Light shaking (MMI IV) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s
Armacao de pera / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s : I just felt the house shake  
Lagos / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 10-15 s : Woken up by wardrobes shaking  
Albufeira / not felt / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
Quarteira / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bed was vibrating, wardrobe doors were rattling  
Portimão / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s
Faro / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / very short
Sao Bartolomeu de Messines, Silves, The Algarve / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single lateral shake / 1-2 s
Portimao / Light shaking (MMI IV) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 2-5 s
Pêra / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Shaking in bed, heard the closets and doors rattling  
Lagos / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
Silves / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single vertical bump / very short : A single sharp jlot  
Vale de Lama, Silves / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Awoke me from sleep. Vibration of loose object and chair close to me.  
Quarteira / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bed shook  
Sta barbara de Nexe / Moderate shaking (MMI V)
Albufeira / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 15-20 s
Alcantarilha / Light shaking (MMI IV)
Albufeira / not felt : Nothing, i was sleeping  
Alfontes / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / rattling, vibrating
Armação de Pêra / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / 2-5 s
Monchique / Weak shaking (MMI III)
algoz ribeira baixa / not felt
Armação De Pêra (8365) / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Bed seemed to 'jump' for a few seconds  
Sao Bras De Alportel / Weak shaking (MMI III) / single vertical bump / very short : Loud noise  
Almancil / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / rattling, vibrating / 1-2 s
Boliqueime / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : Vibration global  
Portimão / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / vertical swinging (up and down) / 2-5 s
Alvor / Light shaking (MMI IV) : Woke me up. Bed shaking. I'm on 9th floor.  
In bed / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
Vale do Lobo / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s
Portimão / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 5-10 s
Show more
Show more

Earlier earthquakes in the same area

Try our free app!
Volcanoes & Earthquakes - new app for Android
Android | iOS version

Support us - Help us upgrade our services!

We truly love working to bring you the latest volcano and earthquake data from around the world. Maintaining our website and our free apps does require, however, considerable time and resources.
We need financing to increase hard- and software capacity as well as support our editor team. We're aiming to achieve uninterrupted service wherever an earthquake or volcano eruption unfolds, and your donations can make it happen! Every donation will be highly appreciated. If you find the information useful and would like to support our team in integrating further features, write great content, and in upgrading our soft- and hardware, please make a donation (PayPal or Online credit card payment).

Planned features:
  • Improved multilanguage support
  • Tsunami alerts
  • Faster responsiveness
Thanks to your past donations, these features have been added recently:
  • Design upgrade
  • Detailed quake stats
  • Additional seismic data sources
Download and Upgrade the Volcanoes & Earthquakes app to get one of the fastest seismic and volcano alerts online:
Android | IOS
Thank you!
Stop Russia's Agression - Support Ukraine
Significant parts of this website use brilliant open-source software developed by Ukrainians. Russia's unprovoked war has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions, and the beautiful country of Ukraine is being destroyed. We cannot be silent even if the topic of this website has nothing to do with politics.
If you like to support Ukraine from abroad:
Ukrainians recommend the Come Back Alive charity. For other options, see StandWithUkraine.
Sources: VolcanoDiscovery / VolcanoAdventures and other sources as noted.
Use of material: Most text and images on our websites are owned by us. Re-use is generally not permitted without authorization. Contact us for licensing rights.
Volcanoes & Earthquakes
VolcanoDiscovery Home
Volcanoes | Earthquakes | Photos | Volcano News | App
Adventure & Study Travel
Tours to Volcanoes and Volcanic Areas: walking tours, photo tours, study tours
Tours & Dates | FAQ | About us
Get our newsletter!
Company info
Contact | Legal info | Terms & conditions
Follow us
Follow us on facebook Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Visit our Youtube channel
EN | DE | EL | ES | FR | IT | RU
VolcanoDiscovery GmbH, Germany, Reg. nr.: HRB 103744, EU Tax Id: DE 310 395 322 owned and created by
Dr. Tom Pfeiffer, volcanologist, volcano photographer, tour organizer member of
IAVCEI
Volcanological Society
Ecotourism Greece
Insured by R+V
VolcanoDiscovery © 2004- All Rights Reserved | Privacy - cookie settings